Obabika Birthday Weekend Part 2

Happy Birthday to me…..
Happy Birthday to me….
Happy Birthday, Happy Birthday….
Happy Birthday to me!!!!

OK, you get the point right? I was celebrating my birthday on this trip and Christina had a lot of awesome things planned.

Sunday

Last year Christina surprised me by having decorations all set up on our Black Lake trip, and this year she did it again! I woke up to a birthday banner, two inflatable water chairs, decorations on our “table”, and a card. The card had a loon on the front that blended in with our current surroundings perfectly. She also said I have a gift card waiting at Outdoors Oriented! Woo! We had the most beautiful sunrise that morning and I could hear my mom’s voice saying, “You know, the day you were born it was beautiful and sunny outside.”

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Breakfast was prepared by Christina (I was told to sit and relax), consisting of sausage and cheese omelets, bacon, and English muffins with homemade strawberry jam.

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Adventure Time

During the few weeks prior to this trip, Christina was working out some secret plans for today. She knew that I was intrigued by her videos of her meeting Alex Mathias, and managed to organize a morning touring around Obabika Lake with him. So after our breakfast we packed our bags with snacks and lunch and headed over to his place.

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Once at Alex’s, we chatted a few minutes with some more surprise guests, Tierney and Andrew (who are a part of Friends of Temagami), and then got ready to tour around Obabika.

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As he headed out onto (a now very wavy and windy) Obabika Lake, Alex brought us to check out some of the pictographs along the cliffs. These are much harder to find as they are much higher than I was used to looking.

We then headed south towards the Ranger Cabin trail and passed by Grandfather and Grandmother Rock also known as Ko-ko-mis and Sho-miss. These are natural spiritual landmarks on the lake where medicine bundles are still offered and left for appreciation to indigenous people.

Ranger point was our final stop and we hiked the trail to the ranger cabin. Alex was telling us along the trail about how this cabin was used for many years to watch over the area. It is impressive to see the building still standing at almost 90 years old. Inside many people have left their own mark on the walls with many dating back to the 1940’s. Christina and I had forgotten a writing utensil, but Alex pulled out a pencil from his pocket so we both added our names to the wall.

As we sat having a snack outside the cabin, Alex started telling stories about his parents and ancestors, and how they would use the land in and around Obabika. Hearing about the history of an area is truly something that I have grown to enjoy over the past few years. I’m was not one for learning history in school, but this is a whole different way of learning that I really have an appreciation for.

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After our wonderful tour around the lake, Alex brought us back to his place where he offered to take us fishing! He was planning to head out in the afternoon to catch fish for a fish fry that evening, to which we were also invited!! I could hardly contain my excitement as this was turning out to be a great birthday surprise.

We fueled up on our charcuterie dish that we had brought for lunch and then headed out on the water with Tierney, Tash (Alex’s daughter), and Alex. It is important to know that only indigenous people (and their guests) are permitted to fish trout on Obabika.

After a little bit of time in the boat, learning how to fish for trout, we were successful in catching a few fish for the fish fry!! You will have to watch Christina’s Videos on this series to see our adventures in the boat.

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I didn’t think this day could get any better, but it did! Alex offered for us to stay at his place after the fish fry along with a ride back to our vehicle! Yeah! We wouldn’t have to paddle out the next morning and would be able to sleep in a bit. With this being offered, we had to portage back to our site, pack up, and then set up at Alex’s. Easy peasy as Tierney even came to help us by showing us the way and carrying our food barrel.

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The fish fry that evening was cooked up by one of Alex’s friends and we all devoured it while sitting next to the fire. We spent the rest of the evening sharing stories by the campfire and just taking in such wonderful company.

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Monday

It felt so good to not have to get up really early, pack up our gear, and paddle the 15 km back out to the put in. I walked the beach that morning before we both enjoyed our oatmeal that had dried peaches from Niagara and strawberries (from Christina).

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Later that morning, Alex had a couple more final surprises for us. He came out dressed in his traditional jacket and head dress, which he wears during the Changing of the Seasons gathering as well as to show guests before they leave. He also showed me the artifacts that have been found in and around the area including many arrowheads. Again, I could have spent a long time listening to him talk about all these artifacts.

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It was a bittersweet ending when we finally hit the road and headed out to our vehicle. Luckily we had great company to take us there, and my canoe got a ride on the top of Andrew and Tierney’s truck.

We said our good-byes and then the long drive home was upon us. Christina and I stopped for supper before making our way back to her place where my car was waiting patiently. I didn’t want to leave, but with the new school year starting the next morning I had to head home. It took some time, but I finally made it.

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This weekend had brought some really amazing surprises of events and I am truly thankful for Christina and all her work behind the scenes to organize a great weekend. She has truly been a great friend and we are both looking forward to our next adventure together… whenever that may be.